This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Pat. Application Ser. No. 07/151,068, filed Feb. 1, 1988, now abandoned.
The present invention relates to a golf swing evaluation system, and more particularly to a golf club having a sensor in the club head and associated display for indicating the forces applied to a golf ball.
There are various sports which require an athlete to utilize a club or some similar implement for swinging at a ball. One example is the sport of golf wherein the golfer athlete utilizes a golf club to drive a stationary golf ball positioned on either a golf tee or on the ground in front of him. In the past, various types of equipment have been proposed and produced to enable a golfer to improve his power and swing. Complicated guide rails of various kinds were used, especially with beginners or newcomers to the game. Motion pictures of the swing were analyzed, to reveal faulty stances and accurate travels of the club. Instructors would study a golfer's swing to ascertain faults or opportunities for possible improvement and speed checks were made, to show club speed at various points in the path of movement. These practices were all employed to recognize certain faults in the way a golfer swings his club.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,118 discloses a handle for a golf club which is provided with pressure sensitive transducers at locations corresponding to the positions at which a player exerts pressure with the thumb of one hand and with the last three fingers of the other hand. The electrical outputs of the transducers are transmitted to a pen recorder which provides traces from which faults in the player's technique can be determined. The traces of the player with the faulty technique are then compared with corresponding traces produced by an expert golfer in order to determine the area of fault.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,716 discloses a transverse force indicating device for assisting in the teaching of a smooth swing for a golf club or other rod-like object. The device includes a joint apparatus interconnecting bifurcated guide rods on a swing teaching apparatus or a bifurcated club, club extension, or attachment member. The joint apparatus may be a balsa wood dowel interconnecting the bifurcated first and second rod members or may be a ball and socket arrangement which has a spring or other suitable locking device to maintain a coaxial orientation of the first and second rod members unless the transverse shear force exerted by or against the first rod member during a swing of the club by a user is greater than a predefined amount.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,564, U.S. Pat. No. 3,945,646 and U.K. Pat. No. 2,066,676 each show a golf club with an accelerometer embedded in the club head. In each case, the accelerometer generates a signal proportional to the club head acceleration/deceleration and velocity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of measuring the impact force on a golf ball when struck with a golf club.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a golfer with a method to select a golf club with the proper combination of swing weight and shaft stiffness to suit his strength and stature.